I only resumed breathing when she shook her head. “No.” It wasn’t the word but the assuredness I heard in her voice that had my world spinning again.

“Okay, than let’s catch a flight to Vegas and get married.”

Deborah began giggling in excitement.

“Whoa! Tonight, big brother?”

I pivoted to see Jason, arm wrapped around yet another woman, staring between Deborah and I.

“I came to surprise you, but I guess you two are full of your own surprises, huh?” he questioned, chuckling.

“You’re two hours late to my engagement party but you were coming to surprise me?”

“That’s right,” Jason responded as if that answer made any sense at all. “We wanted to share our good news.”

My eyes went to the woman he had his arm draped around. The one he was staring down at as if they shared some big, important secret. For her part, the woman’s eyes skittered between Deborah and I before looking back to Jason. She wasn’t the same woman he’d brought to dinner a couple of months ago. This woman had long, brown hair and wore a long, black sleeveless dress, appropriate for an engagement party. Her eyes didn’t have that glossed-over look from whatever drugs or alcohol most of Jason’s dates usually consumed.

“We’re married,” Jason added without preamble.

“Oh,” Deborah finally stated in the face of my own silence.

I looked from Jason to the woman and back to Jason again.

“And does your wife have a name?”

“Jesse. Her name is Jesse.”

“Jesse,” I repeated, my eyes going to the woman, who couldn’t keep her eyes on me.

“And …” Jason continued.

I looked back to him and the sparkle in his eyes told me he still felt like he had another surprise up his sleeve.

“We’re expecting.”

Deborah gasped.

My eyebrows dipped to a V. “Expecting what?”

Jesse nervously looked to Jason.

“A baby.”

The chuckle that burst from my lips was unintentional but well deserved due to the ludicrousness of the moment.

“Robert,” Deborah whispered in a warning tone before saying, “Congratulations, Jesse and Jason. We’re sure you both are so happy about the baby and your nuptials.” She sounded so elegant and genuine.

I, on the other hand, didn’t give a shit. “How the hell are you going to raise a baby, let alone provide for a wife? You can barely wash your own ass.”

“Fu—”

“Robert, that’s enough. We’re sorry, Jason. We’d love to stick around and talk more about everything but we have a really important thing to get to. I’m sure your parents will be thrilled to hear your good news.”

I let myself be pulled away from my moronic brother and his seemingly ditzy bride by my soon-to-be wife. Once we reached the town car we’d arrived in, Deborah began scolding my response.

“You could’ve been nicer.”